So Much Slobber!
At the 20 week ultra sound we learned about Garrett’s cleft lip. We learned about his likely cleft palate. Knowledge of these deformities while Garrett was still in the womb meant that we could meet with ENT specialist before he was even born to discuss his care plan. (We had no idea she would be the same doctor who would preform his trach surgery- and no idea what a trach was!).
The point of the initial consultations was to prepare uss, for the surgeries that would be in our future. (ha. hahahahaha. ) I had no idea at the time what a “small deal” his cleft would end up being. It felt like a pretty big deal to me. I wondered if I would be embarrassed to have him seen in public before he had his repair Wondered if it would be difficult for me, his own mother, to look at his malformed face. Of course I would love him. But would I find him ugly? This thought troubled me. And that was before I learned of the likely noise that accompanies cleft babies.
I have always been annoyed by mouth noise. Smacking, loud chewing, people who make slupry sounding saliva noises while the speak… All of it drives me crazy! So when I was told that children who are born with cleft issues often retain extra saliva and make sucking/smacking noises as they learn to vocalize, I thought God was playing a trick on me. Testing my patience. Forcing me to learn tolerance. To love my way through a horrid pet peeve. Little did I know the extent of this test.
Cleft babies may hold extra saliva. They may make little sucky noises here and there. Trach babies take it to a whole new level! We own three different suction machines (one huge and heavy bedside one, two portable ones) that assist in gathering of Garrett’s many many bubbling, slurping, smacking secretions.
I should explain what I mean by the word “secretions” Spit, snot, saliva, partially digested food, or a weird combination of any the above. These can come out of the nose, mouth, or trach. Since Garret can’t swallow, secretions are almost constantly flowing. Though the top of his palate has been repaired, his cleft was so severe that there is still a hole in the roof of his mouth. This hole gives extra passage for the traveling of spit to nose. Snot to mouth. All day long Back and forth. Again and again.
Garrett has actually been to the OR for Botox treatment to calm down his salavary glands. It’s a treatment that can happen 4 or 5 times a year. So far he has received it twice. I don’t imagine anyone considers getting “just a little work” done on their salavary glands. I don’t imagine anyone considers how often they swallow spit throughout a day, until they meet a little person who cannot swallow it at all.
As for the improvement of my patience, and the quality of the “tolerance test”, fear not. There are absolutely little smacking noises. Little snores. Slurps. Noisy bubbles. A tiny little sweet mouth that is constantly munching on spittle. My clothes are always covered in secretions. My hands. Sometimes my face. Gobs in my hair. I am sure people see me and think “Wow! That woman has got a lot of spit on her.” And it is so true. I absolutely do. If you think it is kind of gross, you are right. Frankly I wouldn’t be surprised if someone doesn’t really want to be my friend because of the sometimes dried, sometimes goopy bits of schnoz clinging to my person.
And it is amazing, astounding, how little I mind.
He has the same amount of slobber on his face in this photo as the first. hence the reason for my slobber filled shirts. And occasional dried crusty remnant of slobber on my arm. or cheek. or hair. What am I gonna do? Not cuddle this cuteness?
